


Never Tame Your Demons (Always Keep Them On A Leash)

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: AU- James Lives, Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 14:50:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13437120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: Being captured by the Enclave is an easy thing to survive, for Rose May.  Picking up the pieces afterwards?  Now, that's difficult.(An AU where James is captured by the Enclave, along with Rose May and the rest of the scientists)





	Never Tame Your Demons (Always Keep Them On A Leash)

**Author's Note:**

> This au has accidentally taken over my life. Whoops.

The man in Project Purity grabs Dad, and Rose May can’t do anything but pound on the glass helplessly.  It’s too think for her to punch through, even with her sledgehammer.  Maybe if she had some of those grenades she sold in Rivet City (and more time), but she had needed the caps to get another stimpak.  

Dr. Li tugs on Rose May’s sleeve.  “We can’t help him now.  We have to get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving my dad!” Rose May yells back.

“You’re the only one with any combat experience.  You’re our only way out of here!” Dr. Li yells, still trying to pull her away from the glass.  

“I don’t care about any of you!” Rose May exclaims, pushing her away.

Dad is yelling at her to run, too; she can read his lips before the man marches him away.  Once he’s out of sight, she turns around to survey the scene.  Just a bunch of scared looking scientists.

The last few weeks have been full of pain and terror, and like hell she’s going to let that be for nothing.  She’s not letting them take her father away from her again.  No way.  

Rose May grips her sledgehammer tight in her hand and walks past the scientists toward the door.  Whether they follow her or not, it doesn’t matter.  

She brings her sledgehammer down on the nearest Enclave soldier’s helmet, relishing the sound of the clang as she makes contact.  The man falls before her, and she keeps hitting him.  

“Somebody shoot that one!” a mechanized voice comes from somewhere.  “The others don’t have much fight.”

“We need that one alive,” another voice says.

The shot comes to her lower back, a burning pain.  Rose May could fight through it, now.  She’s been shot and stabbed so many times that this has become almost routine.  But this is what she wants, so she collapses on top of the man she’s beaten.

The man doesn’t move beneath her, which offers her the slightest comfort.  What actually offers her comfort is the hands on her arms, dragging her to her feet.  The pain in her back still sears, but that doesn’t matter as they disarm her and pull her into one of those vertibirds she saw when she was in the pipes.  

“Sit down and shut up,” the soldier says.

Rose May realizes that she’s restrained and that those restraints have been clipped to the wall of the machine.  She looks around hopefully, but she doesn’t see her dad.  Just the other scientists.

They keep looking at her like they expect that she’s going to free herself and them.  Rose May ignores them, searching for her father.  There’s what looks like another compartment on the other side of the room, and Rose May strains her bonds, trying to see.

She only strains harder when she hears a shout of pain from that compartment.  It sounds like it might be her father.

Apparently the soldiers don’t like that, and one hits her hard enough to knock her unconscious.  

* * *

Rose May wakes up with a start.  There’s a cool breeze, and she realizes that someone stripped her of her armor, leaving her just in her underwear.  The force field she’s trapped behind tinges everything on the other side a slight blue, but she can still see enough of the room to know that she’s alone.  

“Hey!  Hey!  Where is everyone?” Rose May yells.

She pounds against the force field, hoping to make some noise.  It just makes her hand tingle unpleasantly.  Maybe she won’t try that again unless she gets really desperate.  

There’s a crinkling noise as she moves, and she reaches to where she was shot earlier.  Instead of pressing against broken skin, her hand touches a bandage.  Someone took the trouble to patch her up.  

“You’re awake,” a voice comes over the intercom.  It takes her brain a minute to place it as the man who took her father.  “Good.”

“Where is he?” Rose May asks.  

“I’m here, sweetie,” Dad’s voice comes over the intercom.  “It’s okay.”

Rose May feels herself calm a little bit.  Her dad is alive.  She can work with that as long as they’re both alive.  

“Doctor, tell us how to turn on the purifier.”

“It doesn’t work, Colonel Autumn.  I’ve told you that.  It’s never actually worked!” Dad says.  

“Hm.  So you’ve said.  I think you need some encouragement,” Colonel Autumn says.  

The force field around her drops, and Rose May immediately takes stock of the room she’s in.  It’s pretty plain, metal walls and floor, with just a couple boxes scattered around the room.  

Rose May turns to see clear plexiglass above her.  She can just barely make out her father’s face peering worriedly through the glass.  

_ Swoosh _ \- a door that she hadn’t noticed before opens, and she turns to rush the door when two ants appear in the doorway.  Okay, rushing out of here isn’t going to work.  

“Uh, Dad?” Rose May says, backing away and looking around for something she can use as a weapon.  

“Let her out of there!  We can talk once she’s safe,” Dad says.  

“I suggest you learn to talk fast,” Colonel Autumn says.  “She doesn’t have much in there to fight with.”

There’s a pipe running across the wall, and Rose May runs over to it as the ants file into the room.  Happily, they seem to be taking their time, which gives Rose May time to pull at the pipe.  

It takes a few tugs, but the pipe comes off in her hands.  It’s just about the size of a baseball bat and she swings it experimentally.  Not bad.  

“It’ll be okay, Dad,” Rose May assures him as the ants start to face her.  “I’ve killed a lot of ants.”

One of the ants breaths fire at her and she ducks out of the way.  

“Shit!” Rose May yells.  “Dad, I really don’t like it when they breathe fire.”

“Colonel Autumn, this isn’t going to accomplish anything!  Get her out of there,” Dad yells.

“It’s all up to you, Doctor,” Colonel Autumn says.  

There’s a scuffle of some sorts over the intercom, and Rose May looks up to see her dad pressed against the glass by two goons in power armor.  She tears her eyes away as she feels the heat of the fire from one of the ants shoot by her.  

Rose May grips the pipe in both hands, getting into her fighting position.  She swings the pipe and it slams down on one head.  It staggers back as the other ant swipes at her leg.  

She manages to back away and get off another swing, rendering its leg unusable.  It only takes a few more swings to take out the first ant, but she must have pissed off the other ant because it tackles her with a ferocity that Rose May hasn’t seen in many fire ants.  

Rose May ignores her father’s cries from above as she kicks the ant off of her.  She ignores the pain as the ant’s fire hits her shoulder.  She ignores whatever that dumbass colonel is saying.  She ignores it all as she gathers the rest of her strength to stab the ant through the head.  

It collapses in a heap, and Rose May gets to her feet, swinging the pipe as she looks up at the Colonel.  She grips the pipe in her hard so hard that she feels like she could break it.  

“Come in here and fight me yourself, you bastard!” Rose May screams.  “You damned coward!  Fight me yourself!”

“I don’t think so, ma’am,” Colonel Autumn says.  “You’ve got enough on your hands.”

Rose May turns around and the door has opened to reveal a trio of supermutants roaring at her.  God, she misses her armor.

“At least it doesn’t breathe fire,” Rose May mutters as she gets to work.

* * *

The ground beneath her is slick with blood.  Her blood.  The blood of the creatures she’s killed.  They kept sending more creatures after her until she couldn’t take it anymore.  Rose May didn’t bother keeping track.

Her whole body aches and she wishes desperately for her bed back in the Vault.  To wake up from this nightmare.  

Rose May opens her eyes finally.  Someone must have come in and disposed of the bodies.  She’s alone again.

“Dad?”

No answer.

As she sits up, she mentally goes over her aches and pains.  Her ribs are bruised, but she doesn’t think they’re broken.  One of her arms is definitely broken, though, and there are burns on her chest and abdomen.  The lacerations on her leg are deep enough that the pain almost makes her pass out as she shifts.  She doesn’t even want to think about what her face looks like at this point.

Rose May realizes that the scraps of her underwear are only barely preserving her modesty, but she’s in too much pain to care.  She wonders if Dad finally gave in.  If that’s why the onslaught stopped, because she truly can’t remember.

“Good.  You’re awake,” Colonel Autumn’s voice again.  

Rose May reaches for her pipe with her good arm, only to realize it’s not there.  

“We removed that as well, lest you get any ideas,” Colonel Autumn says.

“Coward,” Rose May says.  

Colonel Autumn chuckles.  “It’s shame you’re James’ daughter.  You seem to have a wealth of other talents we could’ve taken advantage of.”

Rose May has to laugh at that.  Yeah, yeah, it sure is a shame that she’s James’ daughter.  If she wasn’t, she would be warm and safe in the Vault.  What a thought.

The door slides open to reveal a trio of Enclave soldiers.  Two of them keep their rifles trained on her while the other slings her over their soldier unceremoniously.  She doesn’t have to look up to know that Colonel Autumn is there, so she clenches down on the pain so she doesn’t scream.  

“Rose May!” Dad yells.

The soldier carrying her drops her on some kind of bed, rough.  She doesn’t wince, but catches sight of Colonel Autumn on the way down.

“I’m going to kill you,” Rose May promises him.  She’s killed more people than she can count since coming to the surface, but she’s never deeply wanted someone  _ dead _ until right now.  “I’m going to kill you.”

“Like I said.  A shame,” Colonel Autumn says.  

“Let me tend to my daughter.  And get her something to wear!” Dad says.  

Rose May tilts her head so she can get a glimpse of her father.  He’s sporting a shiner and he’s holding himself like his ribs are hurt, but it’s hard to tell since he’s struggling against the soldiers holding him.  

Colonel Autumn rests a hand on her burned shoulder, squeezing hard.  He’s so close behind her that she can feel the heat from his body.  If only she could strike now.

“James, just agree to work with us, for the good of the Capital Wasteland.  For the good of America,” Colonel Autumn says.  “For the good of your daughter.”

Dad stops struggling against the soldiers, shoulders drooping.

“Fine.  Fine.  I’ll help you- but I’m warning you now that Project Purity never has actually worked,” Dad says.  “I don’t want her hurt just because you goons don’t understand science.”

“I understand that,” Colonel Autumn says.  “However, I want you to understand that if your attempts are less than sincere, we can always provide you with incentive again.  Even more incentive.”

“I understand,” Dad says.  “Now let me go.”

Colonel Autumn releases her and sets a blanket beside her.  He leaves the room with most of the soldiers, leaving just two monitoring them.  

Dad rushes forward to her as soon as the soldiers release him.  He wraps the blanket around her before grabbing some supplies off the nearby table.  

“Are you okay?” Rose May asks.

“Am I okay?” Dad asks, sounding almost hysterical.  “You took on-”

“I don’t remember.  I don’t want to remember,” Rose May cuts him off.  “I’m fine.  Just stab some stimpaks in me, and it’ll heal up close enough.”

“Rose May, even with stimpaks, you’ll still need rest and a sling to make sure there’s no permanent damage,” Dad says.  “And I would really recommend that you heal naturally.”

Dad starts wiping the dirt and blood off her face, which transfers her back to a lifetime ago.  When things were easy and safe.  

“Is the Brotherhood of Steel going to come rescue us?” Rose May asks.

Dad averts his eyes as he starts stitching up a facial wound.  

“It’s not likely,” Dad says.  

“That settles it, then,” Rose May says.  

Rose May leans over and grabs a stimpak from the table, jabbing one in her broken arm.  It hurts as the medicine starts knitting her bones back together.  She grits her teeth against the pain.

“Hey!” Dad exclaims.  He intercepts her hand as she reaches over for another stimpak.  “No!  You need to let your body heal naturally.”

“Are you okay with working for the Enclave?” Rose May asks.  

“They’d use Project Purity for their personal gain.  You don’t understand how terrible they are, honey,” Dad says.

“Then we need to get out of here,” Rose May says.  “Which means stimpaks so I can get us out of here.”

“Just let me take care of you,” Dad says.  

Rose May is pliant as Dad stitches and cleans her up.  He applies dressings to the wounds and makes sure her burns are clean.  Usually when she gets injured, she just jabs a stimpak (or three) and gets going.  This is a whole new experience.  

When he’s done, she’s laying on the table, covered by the blanket and injured arm secured in a sling.  Dad is stroking her hair gently, like he used to when she was little.  He smiles unconvincingly at her.  

“We’ll figure a way out of this, sweetie.  I promise,” Dad says, leaning down to kiss her forehead.  

“Of course,” Rose May says.  

She’s already formulating plans, possibilities.  All she needs is an opening to jab herself with some stimpaks and then grab something she can use as a weapon.  

“That’s enough,” Colonel Autumn says as he strides back in.  “James, it’s time for you to hold up your end of the bargain and get the other scientists working.”

“You still haven’t gotten her any clothes,” Dad says firmly.  

“The blanket is enough for now,” Colonel Autumn says.  “Now, get to work.”

“You rest now, sweetie,” Dad says, kissing her forehead one last time.

Rose May nods a little bit, even as her chest constricts.  She really doesn’t like the idea of him being out of her sight.  What if there’s an opening, but he’s not around so she has to pass it up?  

“Thanks, Dad,” Rose May says.  

Two soldiers march Dad out of the room, leaving Colonel Autumn alone with her.  He sits beside her in a nearby chair and considers her.  

“So your father patched you up the old fashioned way,” Colonel Autumn says.

Rose May stares up at the ceiling.  She’s not going to engage with him.  

“That’s okay.  Rose May, did your father say that’s your name?” Colonel Autumn says.  “I just need you to listen.  Your father is an idealistic sort.  I respect that, but it can get in the way.”

Colonel Autumn gets to his feet again, coming closer to her.  He leans over her, getting in the way of her staring at the ceiling.  

“We’ve been… monitoring your progress.  You’ve got a realistic streak.  You have to, to have found your father after he abandoned you in the Vault,” Colonel Autumn says.  

Rose May stares past him, biting down on her lip.  She doesn’t want to think about what it felt like when Dad left her all alone.  

“If your father and his scientist colleagues can’t- or won’t- deliver, you will not have a pleasant time in the Enclave,” Colonel Autumn says, brushing a hair out of her eyes with a touch that makes her want to vomit.  “And, I suspect, more importantly to you, your father won’t live very long.  You spent so long looking for him, despite how he left you behind.  It would be a shame to cut your reunion short.”

There’s a copper taste in her mouth, and Rose May realizes dully that she’s bitten through her lip.  It feels like he’s sitting right on her chest, instead of leaning over her and staring down at her.  

Colonel Autumn looks like he’s about to say something, but an alarm goes off somewhere.  He jerks upright, looking around.

“Restrain her and then come with me,” Colonel Autumn instructs one of the soldiers.  

Colonel Autumn strides out of the room while the soldier approaches her.  The adrenaline floods through her body, and she looks around for something she can use to attack the soldier.  As she sits up, she gets dizzy, and she’s reminded that Dad didn’t let her use stimpaks.  Dang it.  

The soldier slaps a cuff around her arm that isn’t in a sling before staring at the other one in apparent confusion.  It only takes a minute for him to decide to wrench her good arm down so he can clip her to the bed.

As soon as she’s alone, she forces her still mending arm to reach over to grab the stimpaks off the table.  She jabs them into herself as quickly as possible, having long since gotten over her distaste for needles.  

Medicine courses through her veins, healing wounds and stimulating her body.  She looks to see if there’s anything else on the table that she can use to attack.  The scalpel left within arm’s reach is a pleasant surprise, but she realizes that that’s why Colonel Autumn hasn’t given her actual clothing.  She can’t hide a weapon in her underwear or in a blanket.  

At least she has her sling, for now.  She slides the scalpel into the sling, careful to make sure it’s fully hidden.  

Rose May considers grabbing the bobby pin out of her ponytail so she can unlock the handcuffs, but she decides against it.  Too soon to play that hand.  

Waiting is excruciating.  She knows she should take the chance to sleep, but she feels too on edge.  Her ears strain for any sound that’d indicate how her father is doing, but she doesn’t hear anything.  

It feels like hours until she hears booted feet approaching the room she’s in.  The door flies open; it’s just plain foot soldiers this time.  

One unlocks the cuff attached to the bed while the other keeps the gun trained on her.  They drag her towards the same door her father left through, so she doesn’t struggle against them.  Instead, she pretends to still be injured; no sense in showing that card, either.  

“Dad!” Rose May calls out when she’s brought into what looks like the Enclave’s lab.  “Are you okay?  You never answered me, earlier.”

The soldier fastens the other cuff to some piping at chest height.  It’s too far away for her to reach Dad, but he takes steps towards her.  

“I don’t want you to worry about me, honey,” Dad says, even as a soldier stops him from approaching her.  

It makes Rose May want to laugh.  It makes Rose May want to scream.  How can she not worry about him?  That’s what this entire thing has been about.  All of the pain, all of the terror, and every threat uttered by some raider asshole that may very well have been able to make good on it was to make sure that her father was okay.  If Dad doesn’t make it out, she might as well not make it out.  

And he doesn’t want her to worry about him.  

“That’s very sweet of you, James,” Colonel Autumn sweeps in like a villain in an old holo.  “I would agree.  Rose May, I would worry more about yourself, if I was you.”

Rose May straightens her spine as Colonel Autumn approaches her.  She won’t show any of them anything other than strength.  

“My soldiers say that you haven’t been working so much as plotting,” Colonel Autumn says.  “I think it’s time for a reminder of our deal.”

“Your soldiers don’t know anything about what we’re doing.  They’re not qualified to make that call,” Dad says.  

Colonel Autumn takes hold of Rose May by her ponytail.  “Unfortunately for your daughter, I believe them more than I believe you.”

“Keep your hands off of her!” Dad protests.  

The colonel jerks her head back, so Rose May is looking down her nose at him.  He regards her cooly, and she realizes just how little he cares about any of them.  All of them- including the Enclave soldiers around them- are just tools to him.  

“I’m not as smart as you in this arena, James.  I’m not going to pretend otherwise,” Colonel Autumn says, giving Rose May’s hair a sharp tug.  “But I know when I’m being manipulated.  I don’t like it.”

Colonel Autumn slams her head against the pipes.  Everything goes fuzzy, and her knees buckle.  It doesn’t help that she hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink since she came to… wherever she is.  

“I’m fine,” Rose May soothes.

Dad is struggling with the soldiers again, but at her words, he droops.  They make eye contact, and she begs him just to work, not make trouble.  She just wants them to make it out of this alive, together.  

“If you make progress, I’ll bring you and your daughter food and water before your rest tonight.  I’ll even let you spend more quality family time together,” Colonel Autumn says, releasing her hair.  “If not, we can watch to see how she fares against a series of feral ghouls with a broken arm.  The choice is yours.”

Rose May sways on her feet, and Colonel Autumn reaches out to steady her, as if he’s a gentleman and not a monster.  She pulls away from him instinctively.  

“I’ll leave you to it,” Colonel Autumn says on his way out.

He leaves soldiers to observe them, but they don’t interfere as Dad approaches her.  Dad is hesitant, ginger as he approaches, pausing as she slides to the ground.  Without the target of her anger in sight, she’s too tired and weak to remain upright.  

Her arm dangles uselessly above her, still chained to the pipe.  

Dad runs his fingers carefully along her skull.  Clinical, even though Rose May can see the fear in his eyes.  

“Just give him a little bit,” Rose May says softly.  “Please.”

“They’re evil, Rose May.  What they would do with Project Purity…” James shakes his head mournfully.  “If I end this.  Tell them it won’t work.  Maybe they’ll let us go.”

“Dad, either I’m going to get the two of us out of here, or they’re going to kill us,” Rose May says.  “They’re not going to let us go.”

To her surprise, Dad frowns at her.  “You’re forgetting about the other scientists.”

“What?”

“There are five other scientists here with us, Rose May,” James admonishes.  “The Enclave would likely kill them, or worse.”

Rose May isn't entirely sure why that's their problem.  Dr. Li doesn’t like her much.  Daniel is an absolute ass.  Garza has barely spoken to her.  Anna is rude.  Alex is the only one who is halfway decent.  But it really doesn’t matter because none of them are family.  

“Dad, it’s going to be a lot harder to escape in a big group then just the two of us,” Rose May says.  

Dad is still frowning at her, and the disappointment makes her feel sick.  She can’t disappoint her dad; he’s the only person she has left.  Sometimes it had felt like that in the Vault, but she always had Amata and Jonas, at least.  Out here there’s literally nobody else.  

“We always have to think about the Greater Good,” Dad says.  

She can hear the emphasis on greater good.  It’s like a person, but more important. 

“Okay,” Rose May says. “I’ll get us all out.”

Dad’s frown turns into a proud smile.  He cups her cheek, and Rose May feels warmth spread through her aching body. 

“We’ll be okay, honey,” Dad says.  “I promise.”

Rose May nods a little.  Why does it have to be her responsibility to save them?

* * *

The water is soothing as it slides down her throat.  It’s not like the water in the rest of the wasteland.  No radiation.  

“Thank you,” Rose May says to her father.  “I know it wasn’t easy for you to tell them, like, anything.”

“You need food,” Dad says.  

“Still… Thank you,” Rose May says.  

Dad hands her a scrap of bread, pressing it into her hands when she tries to refuse.  His eyes linger on the chafing around her wrist from the cuff that shackled her to the wall for hours.  

“I’ll always take care of you,” Dad says.  “I’ll make them give you real clothes, too.”

Rose May presses her lips together, trying to fight against the sudden wave of tears threatening to spill over.  Because she knows.  She knows.  He left her alone, all alone in the deep, deep Vault.  There was something in her so lacking, that made her not enough, that he left her behind.  That can’t happen again.  

“They’re not going to give me real clothes.  I could hide a weapon in clothes,” Rose May says.  She leans in close.  “But I have a scalpel in my sling.  Hopefully that’ll come in handy.”

“Just… be careful,” Dad says.  “Colonel Autumn already killed one person.  I don’t know what else he’s capable of.”

Rose May doesn’t say that he doesn’t know what she’s capable of either.  

* * *

That night, Rose May lays her head in her father’s lap and he runs his fingers through her hair.  She can practically feel the force of him thinking, but she’s too busy trying to give her body a second to recuperate.  When she closes her eyes, she can pretend they’re back home.  

She wants to ask why he left her.  She doesn’t want to know the answer.  

“You were awake when we were transported here, right?” Rose May finally asks.  

“Mhm,” James says.  

“Do you know where we are, approximately?” Rose May asks.  “How far to Megaton, or DC?”  

Not that she even knows where to evacuate the scientists to, but Megaton and DC seem like decent places to start.  She knows that Dad’ll want to take back Project Purity at some point, but hopefully he’ll see that they’ll need help for that.

“Raven’s Rock is about fifty miles from DC,” Dad says.  

Rose May suppresses a groan.  That’s far enough to travel alone, or with Dad, but with a bunch of useless scientists?  Walking back to DC would be impossible.  

“We’ll have to steal a vertibird.  Can you fly one if I get you to the cockpit?” Rose May asks.  

“I should be able to, yeah,” Dad says.  “So can some of the other scientists, I think.”

“Good,” Rose May says.  

“They’re going to be under heavy guard, and the guards here are much better armed than the super mutants,” Dad cautions.  “I don’t know how much use any of the rest of us will be.”

Rose May opens her eyes, staring up into her dad’s concerned face.  She feels like she can’t breathe, but she can still talk, at least.

“I killed one of the soldiers at Project Purity,” Rose May says.  “If you hit anything hard enough, long enough, it’ll die.”

Dad presses his lips together.  “They’re  _ people _ .”

It’s easier if you don’t think about them like that, she doesn’t says.  Killing can be easy if you just don’t think of them as people, but obstacles.

“They don’t have to get in our way,” Rose May says instead.  “If they don’t, they live.”

Dad looks troubled still, but less so.  “I guess you’re right…”

“I am,” Rose May says.  “Trust me.”

“I do.”

“Good.”

Rose May tries and tries to fall asleep after that, but she can’t quite get the trick of it.  Her thoughts are too loud.

* * *

Days pass with little variation.  Rose May spends her days chained to the pipe in the scientists’ laboratory, with Colonel Autumn coming by to check on the scientists’ progress several times a day.  His frown gets deeper each day, and Rose May has to suppress the urge to stab him, screw escaping.  She gets food when the scientists make progress and some light beatings when they don’t; they don’t make much progress.

Nights pass with little variation, too.  Dad cleans up her wounds when Autumn breaks skin.  He just examines the bruises apologetically when Autumn doesn’t.

“I’m so sorry, Rose May,” Dad murmurs softly, fingers brushing over each new wound gently.  “I’m so, so sorry.  This is why I wanted you to be safe in the Vault.”

_ Then just tell him what he wants to know so they’ll stop _ , Rose May doesn’t say.   _ They beat Jonas to death and would’ve hurt me, too, so you’re wrong _ , Rose May doesn’t say.   _ There’s no place that’s safe; there’s never going to be anywhere safe again _ , Rose May doesn’t say.   _ We had a home, and happiness, and each other, and you destroyed it for this,  _ Rose May doesn’t say.

“It’s okay,” is what Rose May actually says with a bright shallow smile, “I’ve had worse.  He doesn’t punch nearly as hard as Butch does.”

James smiles at her, sad around the edges.  “I’m glad you’ve kept your sense of humor, despite all this.”

“Of course,” Rose May says.  

* * *

Dad is just two steps ahead of her.  They find a way out, and he’s two steps ahead of her.  When they finally reach outside, he just keeps running.  Now he’s three steps ahead of her, then four, and even when she cries out, he just keeps running.  

Her legs give out and she collapses in the dust.  Rose May is all alone, staring up into the bright, painful sun.  

Everything starts to shake, and Rose May wonders what new experience this is, until she opens her eyes to see her dad’s face looking down at her in concern.  She was dreaming.

“You were yelling,” Dad says, face hidden by darkness, but she can hear the concern.  “I think you were having a nightmare about what Autumn’s been doing to you.”

“Oh no,” Rose May says.  It still feels like a dream like this, with his hand pressed against her cheek, trying to comfort.  “It had nothing to do with him.”

“Then who?” Dad says.  

“You,” Rose May says, too far gone towards sleep to think better of it.

The hand on her cheek goes suddenly still, and Rose May drifts off to sleep.  She doesn’t remember it when she wakes up.

* * *

“It has come to my attention,” Colonel Autumn says four days later, approaching her, “that perhaps you have not been as forthcoming as you should have been, James.  Perhaps you didn’t believe your daughter would really bear the consequences- or maybe you just don’t care.”

“What are you doing?” Dad asks, trying to walk towards her.  “I told you!  Project Purity has never worked!”

Colonel Autumn undoes the handcuff attached to the pipe and drags Rose May to her feet.  

“I’ve found your holotapes, James,” Colonel Autumn says, pulling Rose May forward by the handcuff.  “You neglected to inform me that you need a G.E.C.K.  It’s a pity; your daughter was healing so well.”

Colonel Autumn tosses her casually to the ground, and Rose May lets herself slide.  She looks up to see his laser pistol trained on her, and she feels a surge of adrenaline course through her veins.  

“This is your fault, James,” Colonel Autumn says before shooting her.

The shot hits Rose May’s calf, just barely glancing it.  It’s still enough to make her scream in pain, and Autumn aims towards her midsection, so Rose May gets her feet underneath her.

Rose May springs forward before she even really has a chance to gather herself.  Her whole body rams into Autumn’s, and the gun clatters to the ground.  She reaches into her sling to grab the scalpel, but before she can jab it anywhere squishy, Autumn’s hand wraps around her throat.

Autumn slams her against the wall, and there’s a cool grin on his face as she watches her sputter.  She takes the scalpel and stabs it into his arm, coughing as air rushes into her lungs.  

Rose May takes the opportunity to shake off the sling, giving her her access to both arms.  She lunges and grabs Autumn while he’s still off balance, spinning him so his back is pressed against her.

“I suggest you rethink this course of action, Rose May,” Autumn says.  “You can’t survive this.”

“Shut up,” Rose May says, stabbing the scalpel into his side.  She looks up at the Enclave soldiers, who have their guns drawn, but aren’t actually aiming at anyone.  “Put those guns down.”

“Do n-”

Rose May cuts Colonel Autumn off by stabbing him deeper, and brings her free hand up to cover his mouth.  She doesn’t want him giving orders. 

“Drop the weapons, or you're going to have a dead Colonel on your hands,” Rose May says, ignoring the throbbing in her leg.  “Have fun explaining that to your president.”

The three soldiers  in the room slowly put their weapons down and back away.  

“Dad, grab the guns. Keep one, give the rest to whoever shoots best,” Rose May says.  

Dad has turned sheet white, but obeys without a word.  He follows her as she drags Colonel Autumn out the door.  

The hallway outside is blissfully empty, and Rose May ignores the pain in her fingers as Autumn bites down.  She can worry about her fingers once they’re away from here.  

“Rose May, you need to stop so I can bandage up your leg,” Dad interjects.  

“Dad, if we stop right now, we die,” Rose May says.  “I’m fine.  There’ll be time later.”

“Rose May-”

“Dad!”

“What’s the plan?” Dad asks.  

“I don’t think she has one,” one of the scientists says when Rose May doesn’t answer right away.  “Crazy girl just got us all killed.”

“You can stay here, if you want,” Rose May says as she keeps dragging Autumn down the hall.  “Personally, I’m gonna take a vertibird and get out of here.”

An explosion comes from somewhere below them as they reach the door at the end of the hallway.  There’s a staircase on the other side, except when she tries to open it, it’s locked.

“Open it,” Rose May says, pressing the scalpel deeper and moving her hand away from his mouth.  “Open the door.”

“No,” Autumn says.  “You’re all going to die here.”  

“Open it, or I’m going to kill you,” Rose May says.

“No, you’re not, because-”

Rose May shuts him him up by slicing his throat.  He’s not useful as a hostage anymore, and she takes his uniform, as flimsy as it is, at least it helps preserve her modesty a little bit.  

“Dr. Li, give me a bobby pin,” Rose May says as she pulls the coat on.  

“W-why?” Dr. Li asks.  

“Give it to me or I’ll take it from your hair,” Rose May says, holding a bloodied hand out.  

She catches sight of everyone’s horrified faces, and truly, the look of horror on her father’s face does cut her deeply.  That’s something they can unpack once they’re out of here.

Dr. Li hands her the bobby pin and Rose fiddles with the lock on the door.  She’s never used a scalpel in lieu of a screwdriver, but, hey, there’s a lot she hasn’t done until coming to the wasteland.  

It takes an extra moment, but the door pops open, sliding up and revealing the staircase.  She shoves the bobby pin in her pocket as she heads towards the stairs.  

Another explosion rumbles below them, and Rose May takes the stairs two at a time, looking back occasionally to make sure Dad is keeping up.  He’s still back there, so Rose May keeps going.  It feels good to get her blood pumping again- to actually be doing something after a week of feeling like a placid nothing.

A door slides open and Rose May turns, scalpel in hand, fully expecting to encounter a fleet of Enclave soldiers and being pleasantly surprised when it’s just a big supercomputer surrounded by quite the mess.  There’s even a toolbox in the corner that someone clearly abandoned in a hurry, and Rose May hurries over, pleased when she finds a hammer and a wrench.  Much better weapons.  

“Ah, Rose May.  We meet at long last,” a familiar voice says from the center console.  “This isn’t quite how I wanted to meet you, but at least it serves as an example of your abilities.”

“John Henry Eden,” Rose May says, approaching the console now feeling properly armed.  “If we’re gonna meet, let’s meet in person.”

“It’s technically President Eden, you know,” the voice says.

“You’re the computer,” Rose May says.  “Mr. President.”

“Congratulations on accepting the reality of the situation instead of railing against it,” Eden says.  “This makes things much easier.”

“What do you want?” Rose May asks.  

“Straight to the point, I like that,” Eden says.  “You stand at the precipice of history, Rose May.  You and your father, both.”

“I’m not giving you Project Purity,” Dad interjects.  “Project Purity is for the good of the wasteland.”

“James, please, I’m speaking with Rose May,” Eden says.  

Rose May takes a step forward, heart pounding.  She feels light headed, suddenly, which she doesn’t think is related to the pain in her leg.  

“You helped us escape and brought us here.  Why?” Rose May asks.  

“You are so much smarter than Colonel Autumn gave you credit for.  Pity you had to kill him, but I understand,” Eden says.  “Survival is key, and the survival of the human race is why I want you to escape and for your father to succeed, with your assistance, of course.”

“Why would a computer care about people?” Rose May asks.  

“My dear, I am the President of the United States of America, and it’s my deepest desire to see her flourish,” Eden says, with the same sort of charm that laces his radio broadcasts.  

“Maybe we could hurry this up?” one of the scientists hisses.

Rose May tilts her head, examining the apparatus before her.  It’s not an easy read, but neither are people.

“We need to get to the vertibirds,” Rose May says, taking another step forward and voice dropping.  “They won’t survive the wasteland.”

“A pity you’ve saddled yourself with them, but I understand your bond to your father runs deeper than common sense,” Eden says in a voice more akin to a whisper than she would’ve imagined him capable of making.  “I can help clear the way to the bay for you, as well as open up the hatch so your father can fly it out of here.”

“And in return?” Rose May asks.

“Purify the wasteland from the scourge of radiation.  Here-” a panel slides open, “is a modified FEV.  Place it in the purifier and all of the disgusting mutated beasts of the wasteland- the ghouls, the mutants, all their ilk- will be cleansed from their pitiful existence.  Take it and help rebuild America.”

“Uh  _ huh _ ,” Rose May says, weighing her options.  

“Rose May, you can’t!  This is an-”

“Dad!  Hush!” Rose May turns to glare at him to cut him off.  

Dad looks like she’s slapped him, and Rose May feels bad, but she can’t risk his idealism getting them caught here.  She’ll apologize to him later, she decides as she turns back towards Eden.  

“No, no, I do understand your father’s concern,” Eden says.  “He has, after all, spent most of his life above ground and subject to the radiation.  Given that he has lived a more… civilized life than most of the wasteland, he won’t feel the effects.”

“We have to make it to the vertibird first,” Rose May points out.

“I can control the turrets, Rose May, as well as throw a few extra surprises in the way of any who would stand against you.  It’s why you haven’t run into any soldiers yet.  I also took the liberty of having some of your gear brought up here before your little escape attempt,” Eden says as another panel opens.  “To ease your passage.”

“My sledgehammer!  And Stabhappy!” Rose May says, bursting forward with a grin on her face.  “Yeah, this’ll help.”

Rose May strips off Autumn’s shirt and pulls on the armored Vault jumpsuit she got from Moira, ignoring the sudden bustle behind her.  Unfortunately, Eden didn’t manage to get her any stimpaks, but at least now the wound on her leg isn’t open to the air.  

She straps Stabhappy to her waist before doing a quick check of her possessions.  Her cap pouch jingles, which gladdens her.  They’ll have some resources once they hit the wasteland- not that she has much, but it’s better than nothing.  

Carefully, reverently, she slips her fingers into the suit’s right pocket.  Her fingers brush against rounded plastic and she breathes a quiet sigh of relief.  Jonas’ glasses survived.  Good.  

Rose May turns back to face her dad and the scientists.  Dad is frowning, arms crossed with the laser pistol strapped on his hip.  

“We’re in the final leg of this thing,” Rose May says, stepping forward, sledgehammer clenched in her hands.  The world tilts a little bit, but she ignores it.  “I’m going to get you out of here.”

“We have a lot to talk about when we do,” Dad says.

“I won’t open the door until you promise to make way for America to be reborn,” Eden says.  

“Of course, Mr. President,” Rose May says, turning back to the machine.  “It would be our honor.”

“Take the canister,” Eden says.

Rose May takes the canister, setting her sledgehammer aside for now.  It’s lighter than she would’ve expected, at least if it can do everything that Eden has promised.  Privately, personally, she doesn’t really care either way whether or not they deploy the FEV, but she knows Dad would never, so she would never.

“You,” Rose May says, turning back to the scientists.  She snaps at one of the scientists who had been rude to her.  “Take this and keep it safe.”

“James-”

“I said to take this and keep it safe.  Or else you can use the sledgehammer to kill Enclave soldiers and I'll stand behind you,” Rose May offers.  “Whichever you’d prefer.”

The man takes the canister without another word.  He looks scared of her, and Rose May is glad.  

“It’s been an honor, Mr. President,” Rose May says.  

The computer chuckles at her and Rose May wants to slam her sledgehammer into it.  But they need it to help them escape.  

A different door slides open and Rose May heads towards it.  Her vision is starting to blur, but she knows she can push through. 

“Stick close, stay low, and those of you with guns- don't shoot me,” Rose May instructs. 

The adrenaline pumps through her veins, and her heartbeat roils in her ears.  They're almost out.  

Of course, there are still plenty of soldiers between here and freedom, so Rose May tries not to get too excited yet.  But, as Eden promised, most of the soldiers are too busy fighting with the turrets to give them much mind.  There’s also thudding behind some doors that indicates to Rose May that some of the soldiers are now prisoners in their own compound.  Poetic justice, or something.  

Eden can’t take care of everything, though, which Rose May is reminded of when two power armor assholes round the corner and immediately fire at them both.  Goddammit, they were so close.

Rose May darts forward, slowed by her leg wound.  She swings the sledgehammer in a wide arc and brings it down on the nearest soldier’s skull.  

The soldier buckles under the onslaught, and Rose May gears up for a finishing blow.  Her second swing is halted by the other soldier shooting her in the ribs.  The blast doesn’t burn her; it just makes her stumble backwards, interrupting her flow.

“I don’t like you guys,” Rose May mutters as she swings at the first soldier again.

It’d be easier if she could try to get in close and force them against the wall, but she doesn’t want to give them a decent shot at Dad.  At least this hit connects and sends the first soldier down for the count.  

The remaining soldier seems slightly stunned at the death of their companion, which gives Rose May the opportunity to swing at the soldier’s arm.  She manages to knock the laser rifle out of their hands, but before she can take another swing, a shot hits her back.

Rose May whips around, stumbling a little, eyes scanning to see where the other soldier came from.  Instead, she just sees Dad and the scientists; Dad has dropped his gun and taken a few steps back.  

“I said don’t shoot me?” Rose May exclaims.  

She turns back to the actual threat, just in time to catch a power armored punch to the jaw.  Her head snaps to the side and she falls to the ground, vision blurring in a way that doesn’t clear up when she blinks.  That’s not a good sign.  

Rose May decides the best course of action is to throw herself bodily at the soldier.  The soldier seems to be thrown off by her decision, which gives her a chance to grab at the tubing running from the helmet to the body.  She tears and tears, and once she’s satisfied she gets to work on removing the helmet.

The soldier isn’t taking this passively, unfortunately.  Hands grab at her, but they can’t quite catch hold.  It’s distracting, but not impossible to work around.  

When the helmet comes off in her hands, revealing a scared looking man, Rose May grins.  She bashes him in the face with the helmet, sending them both tumbling to the floor.  

At least Rose May is on top, even as the helmet skitters out of her hands.  She realizes- as he looks to the side- that they’re  _ also _ near the laser rifle.  Shit.

The soldier is able to shove her upwards as she unsheathes Stabhappy, and then he adds in a hard kick to her abdomen for good measure.  She hits the wall hard, winded and stunned for a moment.  

There’s a scuffle over where Dad and the scientists are, but Rose May doesn’t see any menacing power armor figures in her periphery so her brain dismisses it as unimportant for now.  She needs to focus on the blurry man scrambling towards the rifle on the ground.

Rose May lunges forward, clutching Stabhappy.  At this point, her entire body is in such pain that she’s not lunging so much as falling onto the soldier.  

Landing onto him is another surge of pain through her body, but his arms didn’t come up to block her, so she’s able to stab at his face.  She keeps stabbing and stabbing at the blur where his head is until the hands stop clawing at her.

The sudden silence is deafening as Rose May exhales and pulls herself to her feet.  She takes a quick moment to grab the laser rifle to sell later, making sure to grab her sledgehammer, too.  

She’s partway down the hall before she realizes that Dad isn’t following her.  Turning around makes the room spin, but she does it anyway, looking at him pleadingly.  

“We’re almost there.  They’re dead.  We have to keep moving,” Rose May says.  Her voice sounds strange in her ears.  “Come on, Dad.”

“Rose May, you need-”

“I need us to get to the vertibird, so we can get out of here and live.  Once we’re safe, I promise, you can do all the doctoring and dad-ing that you want,” Rose May says.  

“Okay, okay,” Dad says, soft.  

Rose May waits until he steps towards her before turning to lead the way up the last set of stairs.  Her body aches with every move, and all she wants is to rest, but she’s become so much stronger since leaving the Vault.  She can power through what would’ve stopped her dead before.  There’s no other choice.

Hitting daylight has never been so welcome.  Normally, she hates the painful light that’s so much brighter than it ever got in the Vault, but this time, it means that they’re finally at their destination.  

The wind runs through her blood caked hair, and she makes as much of a beeline towards the vertibird as she can.  A few of the scientists run ahead of her, unhindered by injuries.  She hopes they’ll get everything started and figured out by the time she gets there.

There’s a hand on her back as she makes the final stretch of the run to the vertibird, and she looks over to see Dad watching her with concern.  Rose May smiles to try to reassure him, but that makes her face hurt, so that’s probably not as effective as she’d like.  

When she reaches the vertibird, Rose May heaves her sledgehammer onto the deck before clambering up herself.  Dad gives her a boost before joining her in the safety of the vertibird.  

“We did it, Dad,” Rose May says, darkness clouding her vision as she clutches his shoulders for support.  “We escaped.”

“Yeah,” Dad says, brushing her hair gently.  “You did it, Rose May.  Now let me take care of you.”

Rose May tries to sit down or tries to form an answer or tries to do… something.  But the world spins so fast as the vertibird lifts off and the world is getting so dark, and Rose May passes out, collapsing in a heap into her father’s arms.


End file.
